The NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipsets does not come with an integrated LTE modem. This has forced handset manufacturers to release North American variants of their quad-core Tegra 3 smartphones. Examples include both HTC and Samsung with the HTC One X and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III.

NVIDIA originally expected to have its Tegra processor with built-in LTE connectivity (codenamed Grey) out by the end of the year. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang this week announced that this has slipped into early 2013. On the analyst call that followed its latest financial results, Huang said:

“Looking forward, you’ll see Tegra 3 LTE phones with partners’ baseband processors in the second half of this year and then next year with our own LTE baseband processors as well.”

Instead, as Huang says, we will see Tegra 3 processors paired with partners’ baseband processors, later this year. Such devices could arrive in North America “towards the end of the year.”

Huang also added that investors should not fret too much. “Although we don’t have LTE at the moment, LTE is predominantly a U.S.-centric phenomenon. Outside of the United States, the big superphone upgrade is quad-core,” he said. Tegra 3 smartphones are now available from 22 carriers in Europe and Asia.

NVIDIA is also wrestling with demand still outstripping supply for its latest GPUs, namely 28-nanometer chips.

The rumoured US$149-$199 7-inch tablet that Google is expected to unveil soon could quickly find itself in a crowded market. Speaking to the The New York TimesNVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang expects that similarly-priced Tegra 3-powered tablets will be available from other manufacturers by the summer. Removal of pricier components is driving prices downward very quickly. “We took out $150 in build materials, things like expensive memory,” he said. “At $199, you can just about buy a tablet at a 7-Eleven.”

Huang also admitted to being disappointed with the development of Android. Tablets powered by the upcoming Windows 8 could become a more formidable competitor to the dominant iPad and to the multitude of Android tablets available. “Android hasn’t developed as I’d hoped,” he said. “For many people, though, work is still the primary reason to have a computer. They want Windows to work well, they want Outlook to work well. A tablet running Windows 8 with Tegra could be very nice.”

NVIDIA’s invitation for a Mobile World Congress press event suggests that the chipmaker could announce a quad-core smartphone (or perhaps more than one). It promises “quad-core firsts.” With the Tegra 3 already in the ASUS Transformer Prime, smartphones are a logical guess for that next first.

Both HTC and LG are rumoured to be bringing quad-core smartphones (the HTC Edge/Endeavor and LG X3 respectively) to MWC. Will one or both partner up with NVIDIA for the announcement?

Note: For what it’s worth, I don’t think the phone in the invitation is the one that will be unveiled…

It should come as no surprise that the quad-core ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime is going to get some competition soon. HTC is already rumoured to unveil its quad-core tablet, the HTC Quattro, at MWC. Digitimes is now reporting that both Acer and Lenovo will also announce quad-core tablets in Q1 2012. Both will feature NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor and Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

Much like we have seen with current Android tablets, Digitimes expects that there will be little differentiation among these competitors. That would play into the hands of Apple and fast-rising Amazon, allowing them to continue to dominate the tablet market.

The sources pointed out that the competition over the quad-core tablet PCs will be difficult as these quad-core devices will only see improvements over their performance and design, but will still feature the same concept as their dual-core predecessors.

Prices for Acer’s and Lenovo’s tablets are expected to fall in the US$459 to US$599 range.

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime will not ship with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) but NVIDIA already has it up and running on one. It used it for an “early demo” showing off 1080p video playback and a game called Riptide GP which uses all four of the Tegra 3’s cores.

NVIDIA taped the demo a short two days after Google released the source code for Android 4.0.

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime is expected in both Canada and the US in early December. The 32GB version will sell for US$499 and the 64GB one for US$599. The optional keyboard docking accessory will sell for US$149 (Canadian prices are expected to be on par with US ones).

PocketNow has obtained new details about HTC’s upcoming quad-core tablet. Codenamed Quattro, it looks set to use the same NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor as the HTC Edge which could be HTC’s first quad-core smartphone.

Rumoured HTC Quattro specifications:

Processor: Quad-core Nvidia AP30 Tegra 3

Cellular connectivity: 3G on some variants

Other connectivity: 802.11 n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0

Display: 10.1-inch (1280×768)

Input: Touchscreen

Memory: 1GB RAM

Storage: 16GB internal and microSD cards

Rear-facing camera: 2MP with 720p video recording (sounds a bit low)

Front-facing camera: 1.3MP

Dimensions: Less than 9 millimeters thick

Other: Beats Audio, improved HTC Scribe pen technology

The HTC Quattro could be released in early 2012 (earlier than past rumours had suggested).

The Chinese-language Commercial Times is reporting that HTC will unveil a quad-core NVIDIA tablet at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012 along with two new smartphones. The report indicates that one of these two will also use a quad-core NVIDIA processor. Both quad-core devices are likely to use the new Tegra 3 processor announced last week.

HTC last week promised to launch a tablet that would hopefully set it apart from its competition in the crowded Android tablet market. While the tablet will be announced at MWC, it will apparently launch closer to the Q3 time frame.

If you’re finding the recent dual-core smartphones a bit too slow for your liking, the HTC Edge could well be what you’re looking for. According to a PocketNow “reliable source,” it will be HTC’s (and possibly the world’s) first quad-core smartphone. Here’s a look at the rumoured specifications:

In a report that finds that Asus is now the largest tablet manufacturer outside of Apple (after having addressed production delays), Digitimes reveals that the company has a second generation Eee Pad Transformer tablet coming later this year, possibly as early as October. Details are slim but the second version will apparently be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor and Google Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Asus looks set to have a busy rest of the year with other product launches. The Eee Pad Slider should hit the street in July with a price between US$680 and US$800. The Padfone (also powered by Ice Cream Sandwich and an NVIDIA Tegra 3) with a price range between US$549 and US$799 and the 7-inch Eee Pad MeMO 3D will follow in Q4. Asus also appears set to launch a 13-inch Google Chromebook powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 by the end of the year.

All this means that Asus could become Nvidia’s largest customer in 2011 with up to 2.5 million Tegra 2 and 3 processors on order.